Plaintiffs drop TDR lawsuit against county

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Plaintiffs drop TDR lawsuit against county

Suit sought to restore Dolores River Valley plan
FLC students offer analysis

Fort Lewis College students in the Environmental Studies department analyzed the case, and gave a campus presentation Wednesday, Dec. 10.
“In our interviews of landowners, we found varying awareness of TDRs, and confusion on how they worked,” said student Madison Rafferty.
The students also took 30 water samples from 10 sites on the Dolores River at Dolores and upstream. Tests for the e-coli bacteria were well within acceptable standards.
Student Cale Zimmerman compared the effect of TDRs to conservation easements.
“TDRs don’t stop development, they just control density,” he said.
The students studied abandoned Rico mines and said efforts to mitigate heavy-metal pollution there is key for protecting the Dolores. The primary contaminates of concern are elevated levels of cadmium and zinc, a health hazard for humans and wildlife.
The Cortez Journal